The Green Party of Canada welcomes the fact that, as of yesterday, March 31, Canadians finally have some certainty about funding for biodiversity and for Canada’s international commitments adopted at COP15, which Canada co-hosted in Montreal with the People’s Republic of China in December of 2022. It was a significant achievement for Canada that the Kunming-Montreal biodiversity COP took place at all.

Worryingly, there was no reference to nature in Budget 2025. To confirm that the Prime Minister was committed to climate and biodiversity goals, including the specific commitment to protect 30% of Canada’s marine and terrestrial environments by 2030 (30 by 30), in November 17th’s Question Period, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May asked the Prime Minister for his word.

This was his response:

“This budget puts us on the path for real results for climate, for nature and for reconciliation. I can confirm to this House that we will respect our Paris commitments for climate change, and we are determined to achieve them.

I can confirm with this House that consistent with our Kunming-Montreal commitments, the nature strategy will be released in the coming weeks.”

Given the government’s backtracking on climate commitments, including the November 27 Alberta-Ottawa MOU, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May has continued pressing for a clear funding announcement for nature, including in a meeting with the Prime Minister on February 24, 2026.

As ‘coming weeks’ stretched into months, Canada’s conservation and nature advocacy organizations along with the Green Party of Canada have grown increasingly concerned. Meanwhile, layoffs at Parks Canada have already occurred.

“The commitment of $3.8 billion to achieve the targets of 30% protection by 2030 is very good news. Specific references to programmes that were at risk of sun-setting is a much needed reprieve – including for the Pacific wild salmon strategy, for the Indigenous Guardians programme and for species at risk,” said Elizabeth May.

Yesterday’s announcement acknowledges there remain large gaps in hitting the 30 by 30 goals. Still the commitments under the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework were not solely to those critical targets.

May noted that the significance of the COP15 decision was in a shift to seeing humanity’s relationship to Mother Earth as a critical element in averting an extinction crisis. Kunming Montreal commitments include “urgent action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss”…and to take whole of government approaches to live “in harmony with Mother Earth.”

Yet much of the Build Canada Strong agenda is to move fast, and without regard to biodiversity loss, on AI data centres, new pipelines, building a highway through the thawing permafrost of the MacKenzie Valley and deep ocean drilling off Newfoundland, among a long list of projects referred to the Major Projects Office. The accelerating climate crisis is already having devastating impacts on biodiversity. The 2021 heat dome that killed 619 British Columbians also killed billions of marine animals.

May concluded, “On this April Fool’s Day, I am reminded of the old margarine TV ad, ‘It’s Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature.‘ Clearly yesterday’s announcement leaves much work to be done to heal our relationship with nature. We must adhere to our commitment to halt and reverse the ongoing assault on Mother Earth. We have no time to fool around.” 

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For media inquiries or to arrange an interview: media@greenparty.ca